Yes. While a funeral Mass is preferred, a funeral liturgy outside Mass is permitted. The rite may be used for various reasons:

• when the funeral Mass is not permitted, namely, on solemnities of obligation, on Holy Thursday and the Easter Triduum, and on the Sundays of Advent, Lent, and the Easter Season;
• when in some places or circumstances it is not possible to celebrate the funeral Mass before the committal (for example, if a priest is not available)

No, National flags or the flags or insignia of associations to which the deceased belonged are to be removed from the coffin at the entrance of the church. They may be replaced after the coffin has been taken from the church.

Only Christian symbols may rest on or be placed near the coffin during the funeral liturgy.

Yes. The Church’s rites do allow a (ONE) member or a friend of the family to speak in remembrance of the deceased prior to the final commendation. This is not a full eulogy, but a brief reflection (2-3 minutes) proportionate to the other parts of the funeral rites.

Catholic funeral rites do not allow space for a eulogy. The focus of a Christian funeral is the paschal mystery: the suffering, death, and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. The funeral rites are not so much a celebration of the life of the deceased, but a prayer that the life and death of the deceased may be joined to Christ in heaven. Because the focus of a Catholic funeral is first on God, eulogies do not have a place within the funeral liturgy.

This does not mean we cannot reflect on and celebrate the life of the deceased. It does mean that such a celebration of the life of the deceased would be more appropriate to a non-liturgical gathering (for example, a post-funeral luncheon).

Yes. Provided it is held at a time well before the funeral liturgy, so that the funeral liturgy will not be lengthy and the liturgy of the word repetitious.

The vigil may also be celebrated in the home of the deceased, in the funeral home, parlor or chapel of rest, or in some other suitable place.

Yes, fresh flowers, used in moderation, can enhance the setting of the funeral rites. Please contact us for more information

Yes. Funeral Masses in the United States may be celebrated in the presence of the cremated remains of the deceased.

White. The liturgical color chosen for funerals should express Christian hope but should not be offensive to human grief or sorrow. In the United States, normally a white vestment is worn at the funeral rites and at other offices and Masses for the dead.

Catholic funeral rites are the liturgical rites in which the Church “commends the dead to God’s merciful love and pleads for the forgiveness of their sins.” Through the funeral rites, Christians “offer worship, praise, and thanksgiving to God for the gift of a life which has now been returned to God.  There are three principal components to a Catholic funeral:

1. Vigil for the deceased (sometimes referred to as the “wake”)

2. Funeral liturgy (which often includes the celebration of Mass)

3. Rite of committal. These are outlined in the Order of Christian Funerals.

Vigil: A wake or vigil precedes the funeral liturgy. The vigil may take place in the home of the deceased, in the funeral home, in the church (provided it takes place well before the funeral liturgy), or in some other suitable place. At the vigil, “the Christian community keeps watch with the family in prayer to the God of mercy and finds strength in God’s presence.” Its structure includes introductory rites, the liturgy of the Word, prayers of intercession, and a concluding rite.

Funeral liturgy: The central liturgical celebration for the deceased. As such, the Church encourages the celebration of a funeral Mass as part of the funeral liturgy. However, a funeral liturgy outside of Mass is also permitted in certain cases where Mass cannot be celebrated.

The funeral Mass is offered for the deceased, usually at the parish church of the deceased. “The Mass, the memorial of Christ’s death and resurrection, is the principal celebration of the Christian funeral.” The Mass includes the reception of the body (if this has not already take place), the liturgy of the Word, the liturgy of the Eucharist.

The commendation is the prayer in which “the community calls upon God’s mercy, commends the deceased into God’s hands, and affirms its belief that those who have died in Christ will share in Christ’s victory over death.”

Rite of Committal: This concludes the liturgical rites of a Catholic funeral; the burial of the deceased generally follows the rite of committal. The committal ordinarily takes place where the body of the deceased is to be buried (or “committed”) to the ground, or where the remains are to be interred. The committal is “the final act of the community of faith in caring for the body of its deceased member.” The rite includes the final commendation (unless the commendation has already been celebrated at the funeral Mass).

A Mass for the Dead is a Mass offered for the repose of the soul of a deceased person.

Masses for the Dead may be celebrated on receiving the news of a death, for the final burial, or the first anniversary. Other Masses for the Dead, that is, ‘daily’ Masses, may be celebrated on weekdays in Ordinary Time on which optional memorials occur.

The funeral Mass is a Mass for the dead.

A funeral, whether celebrated with a funeral Mass or not, must normally take place in one’s Parish Church. Another church may be chosen, given the consent of whoever is in charge of that church and notification to the proper parish priest of the deceased. If a death occurred outside the person’s own parish, and the body was not transferred to it nor another church legitimately chosen for the funeral rite, the funeral is to be celebrated in the church of the parish where the death occurred unless particular law has designated another church.

Additionally, the funeral liturgy outside Mass is ordinarily celebrated in the parish church.

Priests preside at the funeral rites, especially the Mass; the celebration of the funeral liturgy is especially entrusted to pastors and associate pastors.

Please sign up your child for the school grade they are going into in the fall. Families sometimes miss a year of faith formation for many reasons, even before the pandemic.

Unlike many subjects in school, faith formation is not linear (moving from addition to calculus in math, for example). We find that children, youth, and teens have a more meaningful experience when they are with their age-level peers. However, the more consistent they are with faith formation, the better their experience will be.

Normally, our registration deadline helps us plan adequately for materials and preparing everything for a smooth beginning of our programs.

In 2022, given that your registration does not specify your signing up for a specific day and time, we ask that you sign up by September 10 to start participating when we begin the various programs. 

Deadlines for registration for the 2023-2024 Faith Formation year are as follows
December 1st       
 Requests to register for the current school year after the final deadline will be handled on a case-by-case basis.  Please contact us!

No, however St. Matthew the Evangelist faith formation materials for Grades 1-8 have an online component.  This is essentially an evolved version of the home study programs of the past, except now it is the only option, and it is the option for everyone. We believe that it is important to support parents to be the primary educators of their children in the way of the faith.

However, it is not the only formation taking place.

For the community portion of formation, families may choose "Come and See Gatherings" or the “Family Small Group” option. 

No, except for those preparing for Sacraments. Parishoners attending Catholic schools are already receiving faith formation during their regularly scheduled school day.

This may also apply to families who home school their children for all of school (not only faith formation) and who use their own materials for faith formation.

However, these children and teens do need to register for sacramental preparation, which are kept distinct from the catechetical portions of faith formation. This is because Catholic Schools (typically) do not offer sacramental preparation, since sacramental preparation and celebrations are intended to happen in parishes.

Younger children who need to prepare for Reconciliation and Eucharist should sign up through the registration process, make a notation stating they attend Catholic school, and at the payment section choose “other” and not pay. There is no charge for sacramental preparation.

Teens who need to prepare for Confirmation should sign up through the registration process , make a notation stating they attend Catholic school, and at the payment section choose “other” and not pay. There is no charge for sacramental preparation.

Please contact us if you have further questions.

Our First Reconciliation and First Eucharist program, for children and their parents, is designed for those in Elementary School, Grades 2-4.

Adolescents (Grade 5 and older) who have not yet received their First Eucharist (Communion) or First Reconciliation (Penance/Confession) should contact Deb Fergus, Senior Coorfinator of Youth Faith Formation.  She, or a volunteer she entrusts, will work with each of these students individually, or sometimes in a small group, as circumstances allow.  We usually have a few students each year who prepare for and receive these sacraments.  At an initial meeting, we can discuss the process and timing of the reception of these sacraments.

Any of the Faith Formation Team would be happy to discuss your family’s individual situation and needs, because each person’s needs are unique.

Parents are always welcome to attend faith formation activities with their children, and they are uniquely able to best serve their special needs child. Most of our volunteers are not trained to work with special needs children, unlike the adults your child works with in a school setting.

For some families, the gathering sessions may not be the best environment for their child. This is why we offer a variety of options. Some families have found home-based environments work better for their child.

The Faith Formation offering partially offsets the costs of administering our faith formation program.  The total cost per student is greater than what we charge – the remaining balance is paid for by contributions of the parishoners of St.Matthew the Evangelist parish.

The Church’s mission is to evangelize and share the Good News of Jesus Christ with others, which includes our faith formation programs.  However, it would not be fair to expect the parishoner-in-pew to completely support faith formation, as participating families should also contribute to the faith formation of their children.

The fees we charge help to offset the costs of supplies (books, materials, technology), overhead (heat/lights), and especially salaries.

While most of the faith formation ministers (Catechists, Aides, Small Group Leaders, Hall Monitors and other helpers) are volunteers, they are supported, trained, and led by a dedicated team of paid staff.  Billerica has, for many years, been able to offer faith formation with a variety of part-time Faith Formation professionals.

We are trying to get away from “fees”, which you may pay for services offered or activities in which a child participates. Your family is making an offering, a contribution, to support the work of the church in sharing the faith. We have specifically removed any fees or additional costs associated with sacraments.

For the 2023-2024 year, the offering for Faith Formation (religious education, CCD) will be:

1 child = $160

2 children = $260

3 or more children = $310

If financial assistance is needed, please choose the payment option “other” and make a note in the box as available. To contact Chris - Our Director of Finance and Operations - CLICK HERE. Chris will be handling all the financial aid requests and payment plan arrangements.

Sometimes. A lot of factors go into whether or not we are able to offer make-up materials.

Please contact us to discuss your situation specifically.

We would prefer – and think it more beneficial for you – to use the online resources, as your child will be able to track their progress and your family will have access to much more information.

Unfortunately, due to limited staff resources, we can no longer guarantee that paper materials given to us will be corrected and returned to you.

If you have a strong preference for using paper materials, please contact us to discuss your situation and arrange for materials to be given to you.

If you have a second grader who missed faith formation (Religious Education, CCD, etc.) in Grade 1, we strongly encourage that the child to participate in one year of faith formation in order for your child to be better prepared for receiving the sacraments of Reconciliation and Eucharist in the following year.  We ask that you sign up your second grader for the Seekers program, and postpone sacramental preparation until the second year of faith formation, when the student is in grade 3 at school.

Occasionally, some families have been allowed to make up Grade 1 at home, and/or during the summer – please contact the Faith Formation staff for more information, as these decisions are made based on a variety of circumstances.

 For more information, please CLICK HERE to contact the Faith Formation staff.

The celebrations of First Eucharist will happen at the regularly scheduled Masses in the spring, usually starting after Easter, through sometime in late May or June. 
Please contact the Coordinator of Children's Ministries - Karyn Moody - HERE -  if you have further questions.

It has been the custom, but not a requirement, for someone to take the name of a saint, biblical figure, or other name associated with Christianity when they receive the sacrament of Confirmation. Frequently in the bible, when someone has a major conversion experience, their name is changed.

For an excellent explanation of this question, please visit Zenit news by clicking here.

Candidates for Confirmation and their families often ask about what clothing is appropriate for the ceremony.  It is suggested that you think of what you would wear for Easter Mass, than be one step more dressy. Hair should be prepared to keep the forehead open, as the Bishop will be making a cross with oil on the forehead. Please do not wear a hat, as even dress hats often get in the way. There should be no gum or food in the church.

Guys’ Details:

Suits are fine, sport jacket is good, neither is necessary.
Nice pants, can be khakis, but no jeans.
Collared shirt, better if it’s a dress shirt.
Ties are fine (with appropriate content).
Dress shoes – no sneakers.

Girls’ Details:

Comfortable dress shoes, but with no big heels, as they are too easy to trip on.
Skirts and dresses are fine, but not required, and please be mindful of modesty.
Conservative makeup.
Flowers are fine.

If you have further questions, please CLICK HERE to contact Alanna Fava.

“Classes”, which primarily focused on head knowledge, are being replaced by the online learning formats we started using in 2020.

The Come and See Gatherings offer a variety of enrichment activities, such as bible stories, dramatizations, service projects, ice-breaker team building games, etc. 

We will expect one adult in each family to assist in a “rotating helper” capacity.

The Come and See Gatherings are offered periodically, with families signing online (through Sign Up Genius), allowing families to sign up for specific days and times per session, as well as facilitate any changes that need to be made because of the constant change to family schedules. You will not be expected to commit to a certain day and time for a season or entire year!

For example, we intend to offer four different sessions (unique gatherings) between September and Thanksgiving, and families will sign up for all four at once for the fall season. However, you may chose different days and times based on space availability. We intend to offer one session during Advent, and more in the winter and spring.

For each session (unique gathering) we offer, we are currently planning to offer them at these following times and locations:

Monday 4:00pm at the parish hall 

Monday 6:00pm at the parish hall 

Tuesday 4:00pm at the parish hall 

Tuesday 6:00pm at the parish hall 

(Note: The Parish Hall is located at 1 Grace Ave, behind St. Theresa Church)

A “Rotating Helper” is a parent, guardian, or other adult family member who assists at the Come ans See Gatherings on a rotating basis.

One adult from each family will be expected to assist with one program, either as a “Rotating Helper” or as a committed volunteer (catechist/teacher, aide, hall monitor, etc), for those families with one or more children in Grades 1-8. This replaces the expectation that one adult attend regularly with a child in the younger grades. Rotating helpers, who assist once every two or three classes, may lead activity or service project stations, run ice-breaker games, assist with set up or clean up of class sessions, and other similar roles. Rotating helpers would participate at the same time as their child(ren). We envision that most rotating helpers would be assisting with a program their child is attending, but an adult is free to be a Rotating Helper in any session while their child is in attendance.

It is our hope that this Rotating Helper model will better engage the adults who are present and assisting in the religious education program.

Materials are shared to enable your family to pray together once per week – probably 15-20 minutes – then once a month we would ask that your family and 2-3 other families gather to pray together. These gatherings (Family Small Groups) with other families can be held at the group’s scheduled convenience and the group’s location of choice, including online. We will match each family small group with a mentor-leader who will join you at the monthly gathering.

We are going to allow your family, the 2-3 other families in the small group, and the minister facilitating your small group to choose the day and time to meet, and it can vary from month to month! We know family schedules constantly change!

Our default with the Family Small Groups will be to match families with similar aged kids, but when we go to create the groups and send you a follow-up form in August or early September, you will have the opportunity to note families you would like to be matched with, and we plan to honor that. You can even put in the student notes as you register now your preferences for families / other children to match your family with.

Yes.

All children and youth in school grades 1-8 are expected to participate in the online digital platforms for individual faith formation, and in addition to choose one of the two community formation options (Come and See Gatherings and Family Small Groups).

A family who wishes to try both should sign up for the Family Small Groups, then let us know in the school year that they would like to try the gatherings as well. This way, we can send you the appropriate Family Small Group surveys and get you started there first. Additionally, we want to make sure to have enough room for the families and children only participating in the Come and See Gatherings before we will the available spaces.

If you are participating in both, your feedback would be particularly welcomed.

A child must be baptized, has reached the age of reason (normally considered to be seven years of age), and has been properly formed in faith (participating in faith formation and preparation for this sacrament).

A child needs to know and understand:

• The difference between right and wrong.
• That accidents or mistakes are not sins.
• When we deliberately choose to do what is wrong and turn away from God, we sin.
• God is loving and merciful. God will always forgive us if we ask.
• Jesus has given us the sacrament of Reconciliation through which our sins are forgiven and we receive the grace to live as God’s children.
• We must be willing to forgive others, just as God forgives us.

For some Christians, it is not that we “have to”, but we “get to” – in fact, the Sacrament of Reconciliation and the ability of the Church to forgive sins has brought many Christians into full communion with the Catholic Church!

Every time we sin, we hurt ourselves, other people and God. The Sacrament of Reconciliation was given to us by Christ to help us reconcile with Christ and His Church.  Through the Sacrament, we acknowledge our sins, express our sorrow in a meaningful way, receive the forgiveness of Christ and his Church, make reparation for what we have done and resolve to do better in the future.

The rite for the Sacrament of Reconciliation involves four parts: contrition, confession, penance and absolution.

• Contrition: a sincere sorrow for having offended God and the most important act of the penitent. There can be no forgiveness of sin if we do not have sorrow and a firm resolve not to repeat our sin.
• Confession: confronting our sins in a profound way to God by speaking about them —aloud— to the priest.
• Penance: an important part of our healing is the “penance” the priest imposes in reparation for our sins.
• Absolution: the priest speaks the words by which “God, the Father of Mercies” reconciles a sinner to Himself through the merits of the Cross.

Remember, first, that in the sacrament you are fundamentally talking to God through the priest. God loves you, wishes to forgive you, and desires to embrace you with the joy with which the prodigal son was embraced in Jesus’ parable (Luke 15:11-32).

Moreover, know that you will not say anything that the priest has not heard before. Do not be afraid.

If you are nervous, please just tell the priest that you are nervous and he will help you. The priest has done this before!

Click here to watch a Youtube on the Prodigal Son (for kids).

It is quite natural to be excited as well as nervous to experience this next step in their journey of faith. Some children become more nervous than others. If you feel your child is a bit more anxious, consider having your child write what they plan to say to the priest. They can take this paper with them when they receive their sacrament to help them feel more confident.

As a reminder, adults are welcome to wait with them in the pew and to help calm their nerves as you feel they need that extra support until it is actually their turn, however, they will then need to complete the sacrament on their own.

When the sacrament of Reconciliation is offered to minors, parents and other adults should be able to see their child (through glass or distance) without overhearing the conversation. This follows basic safe environment protocol.

Yes. Children receiving Reconciliation for the first time are encouraged to bring in papers with prayers and other materials that we recommend here. 

Several Catholic apps offer examination of consciences, prayer aids, and other resources for adults and teens, which you are welcome to use.

• By acknowledging the importance of this event, you convey its value into the future.
• During this time of preparation, you are talking with your child about what constitutes a sin. Continue these conversations as your child grows older.
• As a family, plan to participate in parish celebrations of reconciliation during Lent and Advent each year.
• What is your attitude toward this sacrament? As a parent, if you participate in the sacrament of reconciliation, your child will most likely want to do so as well.

If you have sincerely confessed your sins and the priest speaks the words of absolution, you have been forgiven! You hear the words of absolution and know/see the priest extend his hand to pray over you. You are free to start fresh!

After we complete the conversation with the priest we go and complete our penance, to help in saying sorry to God and others and to make room in our heart for God’s grace to work in our lives.

No. A priest can never reveal the sins a person has confessed. This is known as the “Seal of confession,” which admits of no exceptions (CCC 1467). If a priest were to violate the seal of confession he would be automatically excommunicated (CIC 1388). Over the centuries several priests have died and many have been imprisoned because they refused, even under threat of torture and execution, to break the inviolable seal of confession. This is one of the most beautiful aspects of the sacrament and of the priesthood: the priest who hears our confession, in order to protect the secrets we have whispered to God through him, will allow himself to be imprisoned, tortured or even killed. That’s how seriously he and the Church take the seal and the sacrament.

The priest’s purpose is not to keep a check-list on people, but to be an instrument of Christ in receiving someone’s sorrow, bringing forgiveness and helping the people move forward. A priest hears a large number of confessions. He is not there to judge the person, but rather to listen, and to offer counsel and encouragement to overcome the sin and to grow spiritually. He too goes to confession, so he knows how it feels to confront one’s own sins and ask for forgiveness.

Typically, clothing worn for Reconciliation is either what you might wear for Church, or may be anything respectable.

When a child receives the Sacrament of Reconciliation for the first time, having the child dress up in “Sunday best” helps punctuate the importance of receiving the sacrament. This is a special event in the faith journey of your child, so children should dress up for this special moment. We wish to put our best foot forward for Jesus!

Typically, everyone will be able to choose how they receive the sacrament of Reconciliation, as well as the priest to whom they go. They can receive face-to-face or they can go to confession anonymously, which means that the person  behind an opaque screen (the person is heard but not seen).

It is often recommended that someone who is experiencing the Sacrament of Reconciliation for the first time should go face-to-face, so the priest may best assist the child/person in experiencing the sacrament – this enables the priest to read facial expressions, body language, etc.

Q: Have you decided on closing churches?
A: I really need and want to squelch this assumption with some clarification.

I did not say we are closing any specific parish, or that it is due to any specific parish that we are unifying the three into one Parish.

My intent, which may not have been effectively communicated, was to reiterate the dire state of our collaborative before the present pandemic, and to bring attention to the devastating effect that the pandemic will have on our economy, and by extension, our collaborative, in its current configuration.

Though specific issues of one or more parishes stood out in my presentation as areas of serious concerns, that is not to say all three of our parishes have not contributed to the need to address our current situation with immediate action. There may be obvious assumptions that can be drawn from our meeting. The next and only action item at this point is to make a decision that would yield the best long-term outlook for our Catholics in Billerica.

A: I (Fr. Aveni) find this to be the most frustrating of the concerns on a number of fronts. It was brought to my attention years ago, that even though one might communicate information, if that communication is not received or received accurately, then the communication is not effective. An example of this is Parish Bulletins. Who does the parish bulletin reach? Who does it not reach?

We get frustrated that attendance to Mass, and parish programs and events is low, and assume that it is apathy, when in fact it just may be lack of effective communication to all involved. In previous communities that I served as pastor or administrator, we would collect one half of the bulletins printed, many already read, from the pews on Monday morning.

Parishes spend a great deal of money and resources to prepare financial statements every year that are mailed out, inserted into bulletins, and placed at the rear of churches. Some parishes have a person from the finance council present this information, bringing the importance of increased giving to the people. I can honestly not remember hearing it said “we are doing fine, no need to increase your giving at all.”

Parishioners at each parish have shared with me that they have been painfully aware (though some may not have wanted to accept it) of the dire financial and physical condition of the parishes far beyond the forming of the Billerica Collaborative in 2013.

Other than this year (for fiscal 2019) the collaborative published a financial report annually in the fall. Prior to 2013, I am told that each of the three parishes published financial reports even if sporadically. I am also aware that Fr. Shawn met with Saint Mary parishioners (the only parish in the collaborative that he met with individually) to address financial concerns, and that the Archdiocese provided financial assistance to Saint Mary. If indeed parishes published financial statements, Saint Mary parishioners would have been aware that the parish has been running an operational deficit for over 20 years, with few exceptions. This deficit had a significant increase after the removal of Fr. Nyhan. For many, if not all, his years serving, Fr. Sullivan (out of Christian charity) did not take a salary that was due to him.

Saint Theresa parishioners would have been aware that their end of the year results have fluctuated between profit and deficit, the amount of which has been directly affected by the funds due from the other two parishes after collaboration began.

Saint Andrew has also fluctuated between profit and deficit over the past 20 years, more often ending in a modest profit.

The deferred maintenance of each of our 7 buildings has been a concern for all parishes. Some maintenance issues were ignored, a few critical ones were addressed, some were inadequately addressed in a “what we can afford now” fashion, but never fixed in an appropriate way.

As much as we might think this in hindsight, the goal of Disciples in Mission (Pastoral Planning with a collaborative model) continues to be strengthening parishes for the work of the New Evangelization, to strengthen the work of the New Evangelization in Parishes - part of which is promoting vocations to ordained ministry in the Church.

Strengthening parishes first requires us to stabilize them pastorally and financially. Through the processes of developing a pastoral plan some collaboratives have discerned that joining parishes into one new parish as a goal of their pastoral plan, though that is not necessarily the preferred or presumed goal.

The reason presented in 2011 for leaving collaborative parishes independent and autonomous was the hopeful possibility that each parish would help to strengthen each other to the point that each could be strong enough to return to be stand-alone.

See THIS VIDEO for an excellent, concise visual presentation of our consolidation.

– As of August 1, 2020, the 3 Parishes of Billerica became one new Parish, St. Matthew the Evangelist.

– The Parish of St. Matthew covers the entire town of Billerica. St. Andrew, St. Mary and St. Theresa of Lisieux Parishes are replaced by St. Matthew Parish. (a parish is technically a territory, like land, but not a church building). A parish is a community.

– We have multiple campuses and worship sites. Click here for a video from the summer of 2021 about the challenges of deferred maintenance on the various properties and buildings.

– One Pastor, one Parochial Vicar, Two Deacons and one unified staff… In one office

– One Pastoral Council, one Finance Council and One Building Committee… 

…  focused on how to best bring the Good News of Jesus Christ to ALL the people of Billerica – to Evangelize!
…  focused on how to serve the pastoral needs of Billerica Catholics

– Our mission is now, has always been and will always be, to Evangelize!

– We already have…

… One RCIA program
… One Youth Faith Formation Program
… One St. Vincent de Paul presence
… One website and bulletin

How do you want to contribute to something new?